


Involuntary Admission

by ani_bester



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Gen, Mind Control, Other, bat-family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-12
Updated: 2011-08-12
Packaged: 2017-10-22 13:43:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/238649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ani_bester/pseuds/ani_bester
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dick notices Damian being more agreeable than normal, which of course means something wrong. As it turns out. Damian got exposed to Prof. Pyg's mind control drug after all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Involuntary Admission

The fact that Damian obeyed him without a word of ridicule, scorn, or contempt, Dick realized, should have been his first clue that something was wrong with his youngest brother. But last night, after the ordeal of the last few day, evil Circus's, botching up at the police station, failing and then rescuing Damian, Dick hadn't seen any sane reason to question why, when he told Damian to go to sleep, the 10 year old had gone to sleep. Instead, he'd taken it as some kind of miracle and not looked a gift horse in the mouth.

Now though, as he stared at Damian, who held a perfect handstand in the middle of the hall because Dick had told him to, he felt the familiar weight of guilt settle in his stomach.

"Oh Damian," he sighed as he continued to stare at his poor Robin.

"Master Richard?" The shocked surprise in Alfred's voice cut through Dick's moment of indecisive remorse. "Stand up normally, Damian," he murmured.

"What on earth?" Dick heard Alfred mutter as Damian complied with Dick's command.

Shaking his head he turned to look at Alfred. He felt the sting of embarrassment color his cheeks as he faced his old friend. "Mind control," he muttered. "He must have been exposed while captured." Dick clenched his fist in anger as he saw his mistake. "I scanned us both for contamination like it was a drug, not a virus. I didn't check to see if it might have an incubation period."

"Ah."

Dick sighed and glanced down at Damian. Seeing the young boy look at him with such a passive expression sent another guilt spasm through him. "I can have an antidote prepared soon enough," he murmured, reaching out to touch Damian's shoulder. His stomach unclenched a little as he realized that, after all, was true. This wasn't a crisis. Still though, he should have replicated more antidote two days ago, just in case. Another mistake.

"My I pass on some advice that I often had to remind Master Bruce of?" Alfred asked.

Dick nodded, still looking at Damian.

"Take care of yourself first, Master Richard. If something happens to you, you will not be able to help him."

Dick turned to protest, but then nodded. That was true; this was a virus after all. He could have caught it. Or Alfred. Three batches of antidote then.

He put his hand on between Damian's shoulder and pushed him gently forward. "Come on, Damian, follow me." Dick began to head toward the lower level of the penthouse, Damian following just behind him.

"Master Richard," Alfred called out just as Dick reached the elevator.

"Yes?"

'When this is taken care of and you are waiting for him to recover, perhaps I can tell you of some of Master Bruce's early . . .adventures. Both with and without you."

"So long as Damian is not awake for them," Dick said with as much of a smile as he could muster.

___________

 

Dick stared at the lab results of his and Damian's blood. His appeared normal, for now, so he concentrated on replicating enough antidote for Damian. After that was administered, he figured he could work up a stash, and test Alfred for exposure.

He pushed away from the lab desk and looked behind him to check on his younger brother. Damian sat exactly as he'd been sitting for the last hour, stiff back, arms hanging loosely at his side. His eyes were half lidded and he had the same blank expression that Dick had mistaken for sleepiness the night before.

It had never occurred to Dick to think of Damian as talkative, but not having heard a sound from the boy since the day before was beginning to weigh on Dick like an oppressive force. It wasn't as though Damian was often a source of cheerful lightheartedness or pleasant conversation, but all the same, Dick wished Damian would say something.

He wouldn't even mind hearing the TT sound Damian made whenever he was sure he could have done a better job.

The movement of the large, red digital numbers on the computer display caught his attention, and he watched the timer count down the minutes until the antidote would be ready. Over an hour to go. Dick stretched his arms and contemplated going to the gym, but-

He looked back over at Damian. That chair had to be uncomfortable.

"Damian." As soon as he spoke, Damian looked in his direction, eyes still blank. "Damian, you should make yourself comfortable. It's more than an hour until this will be ready."

Damian continued to sit still and Dick was about to repeat his suggestion-or order- when Damian slid from the chair. Dick leaned back in his own chair and stared at the timer again. He wondered if Damian would go to the gym or go to work on something mechanical. If the boy went to the gym, Dick decided he would join him.

A hand pushed down on his leg, startling Dick. He looked down just as Damian hoisted himself up onto Dick's lap.

"Wha-?"

Damian sat stiff backed in Dicks lap for a moment, then pulled Dick's arm around him so he would be supported as he leaned again Dick's chest. He curled up his legs, then reached for Dick's other arm and pulled it around him.

Dick stared at him, but did nothing but lean back in his chair and shift Damian so the boy's weight was disrupted a bit better across his lap. Damian didn't move again, so Dick assumed he was still comfortable.

He sat like that, resisting the urge to run his fingers through Damian's hair on the chance that his little brother would remember this later. The clock had counted down to just over thirty minutes when he heard footsteps echoing through the room as Alfred climbed down the latter.

"I brought some food Master-"

Dick looked up and saw Alfred staring at Damian.

"I suggested he make himself comfortable."

Alfred raised an eyebrow as he set a tray of sandwiches and water down on the table Dick had designated the food table. "I take it," Alfred began; his voice lined with wary amusement," that young master Damian is still under the influence of the mind altering substance."

Dick all but laughed at that. "How'd you guess?"

"Subtle hints," Alfred said with a smile. "Master Richard, I feel I should inform you that if he remembers this tomorrow, I might contemplate requesting that day off."

Dick looked up Alfred and found he couldn't hold his laughter back any longer.


End file.
